I have always loved the taste of bourbon. My grandmother's "rum balls" were actually made with bourbon. And when a cookie, cake or pie calls for liquor, I always reach for the bourbon.
I don't really drink anymore, but at one time I did and it was then that I mentioned to my friend, Beth, that I liked bourbon and ginger ale. Bourbon fans aren't that common, so she thought I might like to become a "Maker's Mark Ambassador." It's a fun program where you proclaim your loyalty and vow to speak well of the brand and support its endeavors whenever possible (ha!). I loved the idea and the fact that my name would be on a barrel in the vast warehouse and that someday I would be given the opportunity to buy a bottle from that barrel after it had ages properly. The program also sends little gifts and logoed materials to my house every once in a while. It is my kind of "enthusiasm" and I think its fun. I joined about 7 years ago.
So...it was wonderful luck that Dan (who was working in Cincinnati for the week) and I were able to drive a short distance and spend the weekend with our friends, Beth and Richard in Louisville, Kentucky. Yes, Kentucky. Now you see where the bourbon element comes in. Beth proposed that, as Ambassadors, it was really important that we visit the Makers Mark distillery. It was an hour and a half drive from Louisville, but it was worth it.
The tour starts at the very beginning, when the owners started dipping bottles of their small batch bourbon in their kitchen.
And ends with the very modern bottling set up that makes each bottle of Maker's Mark pure and true.
On the tour, thirty of us heard all about the process of making bourbon, saw the foaming vats of liquid in different stages of fermentation and admired the gleaming kettles that brought it up to temperature. (Clearly I know nothing about making bourbon, so don't rely to heavily on my description.)
